Best value for annual boiler service

iammumtoone

When was it last serviced? I don't get mine done every year (I do have a CO alarm) I get it done about every 3 years. The last time the plumber came, even he said it was not necessary for it to be done every year! I do have a good make (Worcester) not sure if this applies to the cheaper boilers that are about.

My friend had a cheap boiler (new build house) and they did suffer from CO poisoning very luckily she recognised the symptoms and called the gas people they tested it and banded her from going back into the house! her boiler was not serviced the previous year but it had been done the year before.

Therefore whether you have a service or not please buy an alarm.

booty40uk

A good rgi will test combustion as well as clean/ strip down as necessary, test pressures, gas rate etc etc. As I said before, get a good one.

Southend1

booty40uk wrote: »

A good rgi will test combustion as well as clean/ strip down as necessary, test pressures, gas rate etc etc. As I said before, get a good one.

As I said before, never found one who does any of the above with the exception of clean.

I do have a CO alarm.

Is there any way of finding an engineer who will do the proper service? I mean like a register of engineers who are monitored to ensure they are doing it right. Or something else that will ensure I can "get a good one"? It's all very easy to say just get a good one but how?!

booty40uk

What boiler do you have and do you have the manufacturers instructions? These will tell you what an annual service should include.

It may, or may not, require a strip down service every year. It will always require a combustion analysis.

If you are aware yourself of what is required you can then watch and make sure that you are getting the service you require. If you don't, then you can question the engineer, or if need be, report him/her to gas safe for not fulfilling the remit.

As an rgi myself it appals me to hear over and over again of "engineers" not pulling there weight and basically ripping people off. This , in reality, gives all of us a bad name. It also puts people like yourself in a position whereby they will put money saving In front if safety which is never a good thing for either party.

Southend1

booty40uk wrote: »

What boiler do you have and do you have the manufacturers instructions? These will tell you what an annual service should include.

It may, or may not, require a strip down service every year. It will always require a combustion analysis.

If you are aware yourself of what is required you can then watch and make sure that you are getting the service you require. If you don't, then you can question the engineer, or if need be, report him/her to gas safe for not fulfilling the remit.

As an rgi myself it appals me to hear over and over again of "engineers" not pulling there weight and basically ripping people off. This , in reality, gives all of us a bad name. It also puts people like yourself in a position whereby they will put money saving In front if safety which is never a good thing for either party.

Yes have checked the manual it says strip down service every year. This year the guy I got in literally unscrewed the cover, gave it a quick Hoover around and screwed it back up. Then ran the boiler for 2 mins, checked the flame was blue and charged me £60 for the privilege. He never stripped anything or tested anything. Though to be fair he did say he was checking the seal - he did a quick visual but I wouldn't trust him to tell me if it was faulty given the sloppy job he did.

I'm happy to spend the money if I get a proper service or even if it was just a safety check and no service however my feeling that I don't want to get the boiler serviced any more is based mainly on the worry that the engineer isn't leaving the boiler in a safe condition and partly on the fact that there's no point paying for someone to do something completely pointless and possibly even dangerous.

If anyone knows of a way to find a "good" gas engineer who will do the job properly, please post the info.

George_Bray

Southend1 wrote: »

Thanks. Well I now know I've been ripped off by every gas engineer I've ever used. I probably still won't bother with a service ever again, because I simply don't know where to find an engineer who will do more than just Hoover out the dust and a quick visual.

Good point. When I reported my experiences, I fully expected the traders on here would step in to rubbish what I was saying. After all, they would say that, wouldn't they? Nobody is going to admit they routinely commit a fraud like making out expensive parts need replacing, when they don't. Trading Standards should set traps to test these people out (all Gas Safe traders) a bit like the set ups used in some TV programmes, with hidden cameras and genuine experts to confirm what really needs doing and what doesn't.

southcoastrgi

George_Bray wrote: »

Good point. When I reported my experiences, I fully expected the traders on here would step in to rubbish what I was saying. After all, they would say that, wouldn't they? Nobody is going to admit they routinely commit a fraud like making out expensive parts need replacing, when they don't. Trading Standards should set traps to test these people out (all Gas Safe traders) a bit like the set ups used in some TV programmes, with hidden cameras and genuine experts to confirm what really needs doing and what doesn't.

personally i don't give a toss if you want to kill yourself & your family with your pigheaded attitude, the "genuine experts" will have to be GSR as well so who is gonna set them up, like i said alot of rogue customers about as well & i think you have just proved my point

Southend1

southcoastrgi wrote: »

personally i don't give a toss if you want to kill yourself & your family with your pigheaded attitude, the "genuine experts" will have to be GSR as well so who is gonna set them up, like i said alot of rogue customers about as well & i think you have just proved my point

Out of interest, how can a customer be a rogue? Do you mean non payers or is there more to it than that?

MrCardigan

As a registered gas engineer myself, I am always amazed to hear stories about so called 'services' taking half an hour or so. I have normally barely got going by then. For my standard service (1.25-1.5 hours), I will (for example):
- carry out a gas tightness test at the meter to ensure there are no leaks, before even touching the boiler
- check boiler combustion using gas analyser
- check all case seals and case integrity
- check condition of all electrical connections
- check no water leaks
- check flue integrity and seal, and that it was installed correctly
- check ventilation requirements (if any) are met
- check pipework is marked correctly and insulated if required
- check burner pressure of boiler meets manufacturer's specs
- check gas pressure loss between meter and boiler doesn't exceed allowable amount, ensuring gas pipework is correctly sized
- check operation and condition of fan
- remove and clean condensate trap if fitted, and check condensate pipework
- Following manufacturer instructions, if gas analysis deems it necessary, remove burner and clean heat exchanger - this is often not required with newer condensing boilers.
and many other checks that I cant think of at 10.30 on a saturday night!!!

It is NOT a case of sticking an analyser in and a quick hoover. Those that do are not doing their job properly. I have even been to properties where having taken the cover off, the customer has said that they've never seen anyone do that before!

I charge £65 for my services, which for Cheltenham is about average. I believe that I give good value for money, and will not sign a boiler off as safe unless I am completely happy that I have done my job thoroughly.

MrCardigan

Forgot to say, as for how often to have them serviced, my attitude is how often do you want your boiler to be confirmed as safe? A boiler is one of the hardest working appliances in your house, and a lot can happen in a year or two.

It is even more important from a safety point of view if your boiler is an old open-vented one (eg Ideal Mexico), or is an open gas fire - these appliances are not room sealed and rely on air from the room for combustion - hence if something goes wrong with them, then the risk of CO poisoning is very high.